I was noticing how often I hear this song on the radio - at least once a day on my favorite '80s-'90s-today radio station - so I decided to write about it. During my Google search for a fun image, I discovered - just today - that Stevie says "Just like the white-winged dove." Until about two years ago, I thought she said "Just like the ones we love sing the song sounds like they're singing," which I guess doesn't make that much sense. When I finally deciphered the word "dove" instead of "love," I really, truly thought she said "Just like the one-winged dove." Now, a one-winged dove is really, really sad, right? It's a symbol of peace gone bad? And why wouldn't a one-winged dove sing whoo, whoo, whoo? I'm a mess.In honor of my good friend Dustin, today I'm going to ask a question: what songs lyrics do you misunderstand? Please don't give me any trite answers like "Excuse me while I kiss this guy." I want to know what you misunderstand.
Stevie Nicks' mouth full of marbles, or my ears full of wax - C-
A misunderstood lyric actually became a new word in my life... Spread it around. "Manteb"-- to feel sassy and over-the-top confident-- as originially heard in "Brass in Pocket" by the Pretenders:
ReplyDelete"Got Brass in Pocket
Got Bottle I'm gonna use it
Intention I'M FEELIN' MANTEB
Gonna make you, make you, make you notice."
Use it in a sentence. It feels great! Next time someone asks how you are, tell them, "I'm feelin' manteb." Just saying the word makes me feel a little more Manteb.
well...I'm the queen of just plain ol' not understanding...but here's a good one from the 80's...I thought Def Lepard's "Pour Some Sugar on Me"...was "Pour some mug of chablis"...nope didn't know what chablis was either...that's one...i'll be back with me...
ReplyDelete"Should we all night long?" Instead of you shook me all night long. I just found out like a year ago that I had been singing that wrong my entire life.
ReplyDeleteI had a friend who, for years, thought that "echos of love..." was "Ethel the frog".
ReplyDeleteReally! It just make feel me soooo, uh, manteb!
I do this all the time. I can't think of any examples right now but I'll be back with it when I do.
ReplyDeletemy friend kelly boobs and i were driving and "vogue" came on, it's by this singer called madonna. when she starts listing off all the celebs, we were singing along and kelly sings "gingivitis, dance on air."
ReplyDeletebut then again, ginger rogers isn't that far removed from an inflammation of the gums.
ooh, ooh... and from "you oughta know" by alanis:
ReplyDelete"it's not fair
to remind me
of the cross-eyed bear
that you gave to me..."
Del Shannon...Runaway...
ReplyDelete"I'm a walking in rain, to the ball and I feel a pain, wishing you were here by me". Why was he going to the ball if he lost his girl? 40 years later, thanks to Amandrama, "Tears are fallin" not to the "ball and". Gee makes more sense.
I do this so often it's not even funny, as Mark will attest when I just make up words willy-nilly. His two best were when he was a kid and he thought you weren't supposed to "go around breaking young girls arms" in Billie Jean, and recently when I discovered that he thought in It's The End of The World As You Know it, you shouted out the well-known composer "Lay-on earth, Bernstein!" I don't even know what that means, but I think something came out my nose. Serves me right for marrying a jock.
ReplyDeleteHas anyone heard the lesser-known Michael Jackson song "Librarian Girl"?
ReplyDeleteHa, I used to think Madonna sang about gingivitis in that song too. Funny Paul
ReplyDeleteOK..Amanda, you know this already, but here goes.
ReplyDeleteSong: Galileo
Artist: Indigo Girls
Correct lyric: "Then you had to bring up reincarnation over a couple of beers the other night."
My version: "Then you had to bring up the Green Card issue over a couple of beers the other night."
I say that both issues could cause a fight and the Green Card one would be a way better argument than afterlife. I mean, seriously!
Just for the record, the next band I'm in will be called...ahem..."The Green Card Issue" Awesome.
I love songs where NO ONE really knows the words ... like "Mr. Boombastic" or "Informer". What is he saying? "I lick your boom boom now?" To this day, I have no idea what is going on in those songs. If anyone does, let me know.
ReplyDeleteoh, Amanda, it's not fair to make me laugh like that when I'm not wearing waterproof mascara!
ReplyDeletethe best I think I've heard was my friend Calvin, who actually thought Bon Jovi was singing "on a steel horse high rise". I'm not sure what that would be.
I usually just mumble some nonsense when I don't know the words...which is frequently!